As a function of their employment, many people are forced to be on their feet all day, either standing or walking. As a result, they tend to become fatigued quickly and their feet can become sore and swollen. In addition, a person's shoes, which may initially be comfortable, can become uncomfortable and cause blisters or callouses following extended periods of wear. As the majority of wearer's weight is typically carried on the ball and heel portions of his or her feet, these areas can tend to become particularly sore and prone to blistering and the formation of callouses.
Medical personnel such as nurses and medical technicians, in particular, are often on their feet for extended periods of time without an opportunity to sit down. Such medical personnel typically wear uniforms which include opaque (typically white) stocking-type hosiery and similarly colored shoes, which are usually of the saddle oxford or tennis shoe varieties. Despite the initial comfort of these shoes and their low heels, the wearer's feet can still tend to become sore and tired after extended periods of standing. Further, the stocking-type hosiery typically worn by these medical personnel is conventionally made of nylon or other hydrophobic fibers. Due to the lack of moisture absorption by these hydrophobic fibers, the wearer's foot discomfort tends to increase as their feet perspire because the perspiration produced tends to remain adjacent the person's skin. Further, the moisture tends to exacerbate the rubbing of their shoes against their feet, and therefore promotes the formation of blisters.
Prior art developments in the way of articles to be worn on the foot in combination with stocking-type hosiery have tended to focus on protection of the stockings rather than the enhancement of the comfort and protection of the wearer's feet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,727,586 to Condon and U.S. Pat. No. 1,889,716 to Walker both disclose footlets adapted to be worn under hosiery to protect the same. Each of these stocking protectors fails to provide any cushioning protection for the wearer's feet, and these types of stocking protectors are designed to be as thin as effectively possible in order that they may readily fit beneath the wearer's stockings and inside the wearer's shoes. Further, these stocking protectors are designed to cover only the minimal portions of a wearer's foot necessary to appropriately protect the stockings. The Condon stocking protector is designed to only cover the portions of a wearer's foot at which the stocking is subject to damage, namely the toe and the heel. The Walker stocking protector, on the other hand, is designed to only cover the foot adjacent the wearer's toes.
It has also been known to provide socks having increased cushioning about certain areas of a wearer's foot, as shown for example in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,517 to Throneburg, et al. The sock described in that patent utilizes varying thicknesses of terry cushioning to provide comfort to a wearer's foot. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,615,188 to Hursh, et al. and 3,796,607 to East describe socks providing cushioning to a wearer's feet. The socks disclosed in the Hursh, et al. and East patents have two-ply constructions in order to provide greater cushioning to the wearer's feet. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,249 to Thorneburg discloses an athletic sock having terry loops concentrated in selected areas to form padded shock absorbing regions for a wearer's feet. In an embodiment of the athletic sock which has a rolled top portion, the terry loop padding continues from the foot portion of the sock onto the rolled top portion. Though padded socks can provide comfort to a person's feet, they have typically been unavailable for use by many medical personnel and the like, whose uniforms require the wearing of nylon type stockings.
Therefore, a need exists for a means for providing cushioning comfort to a wearer's feet while the person wears stockings and for providing wearer comfort while maintaining an aesthetically appealing appearance.
In addition, a need exists for a means of enhancing the comfort of a person's feet when the person is to be on his or her feet for long periods of time, and for dealing with the discomfort associated with the accumulation of perspiration within a person's shoes.
Further, a need exists for comfort-enhancing foot protectors for use in combination with stocking-type hosiery which readily maintain their positions relative to the wearer's shoes, hosiery, and feet.
Likewise, a need exists for a method of making and using foot protectors which provide cushioning comfort and protection for a wearer's feet when used in combination with stocking-type hosiery.